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3 November 2021

TOURISM AUSTRALIA UPDATE
We got the great news on Monday that we will be welcoming Singaporeans to Australia from 21 November see our Minister’s press release here. This is a significant step towards kick-starting international tourism back to Australia. We also started the with week with the positive news that quarantine-free travel from New Zealand to Australia has resumed, and we are hoping to hear that this will become two-way quarantine free travel in the coming weeks. Make sure you join us this Friday 5 November at 11am AEDT for our Webinar, and this week there is a lot to update you on. We will be joined by our new Chairman Michael Issenberg, there will be an update from our Minister, the Hon. Dan Tehan MP, we will be launching the latest iteration of our Holiday Here This Year campaign which will focus on gifting over the festive season, and will also hear an update on the Singapore market from our RGM for South & South-East Asia, Brent Anderson. Register here. Phillipa Harrison

Spotlight on the Regions – Europe

This week, ‘Spotlight on the Regions’ features an interview with Eva Seller, Tourism Australia’s Regional General Manager, Continental Europe, who shares insights and observations from the Continental Europe market, as well as updates on key stakeholders and activities to keep Australia front of mind in-market. Read the update here.

Tourism Australia Activity

Australia showcased to North American advisors at EDGE Conference

Around 1500 travel professionals from the United States and Canada attended Travel Leaders Network’s EDGE International Conference, held last month at Universal Orlando, Florida. Tourism Australia met with premium-selling advisors in one-to-one appointments and led a workshop with a 'fireside chat' with an Aussie Specialist Ambassador. Advisors learned about Signature Experiences of Australia and why There’s Nothing Like Australia. The Tourism Australia trade show booth attracted hundreds of advisors interested in learning more about Australian experiences, border reopening plans, and picked up collateral to assist with booking clients. Tourism Australia is the longest standing destination partner of Travel Leaders Network and their consortium of over 55,000 travel advisors worldwide.

Connect to Country social video released

Last week, Tourism Australia released a new social video, in partnership with Indigenous creative consultancy Campfire x, to encourage Australians to Connect to Country. The video highlights Australia is much more than one big country - it’s hundreds of them - and that wherever you are in Australia, you are on the Country of Traditional Custodians. The video shows how Australians can find out more about the land they are on, and where they plan to travel to. It also provides ways to connect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and traditions, including participating in tourism experiences. You can discover more about Traditional Country at connecttocountry.com.au.

Meeting Swiss Industry in Zurich

Tourism Northern Territory and Tourism Western Australia jointly organised a key partner networking event in Zurich, Switzerland last week. The event was attended by Tourism Australia’s Frankfurt team. Approximately 40 partners across the Swiss distribution and product supplier landscape attended the evening to receive the most recent up-dates and most importantly reconnect and discuss the tourism restart. There were smiles all around at this perfectly timed first opportunity to meet in person.

Korean agents immerse themselves in virtual Indigenous Art Workshop

Tourism Australia’s Korean team hosted a virtual Aboriginal Art Class for Korean Aussie Specialist Program agents last week. In partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland and Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre, the live workshop provided hands-on experience via a fun and interactive session. The update included information on the history and heritage Australian Indigenous culture and tips on how to include these elements in tour products for their customers. The workshop received favourable feedback from attendees and generated significant media coverage via Korean travel trade media.

Tourism Industry News

National Indigenous Tourism Mentoring Program

The Australian Government has opened the competitive tender process to facilitate the design and delivery of a $10 million National Indigenous Tourism Mentoring Program. The program will provide one-on-one support to Indigenous tourism business owners as they look to recover and adjust to economic, social and travel changes in the wake of the pandemic. Details are available on AusTender, www.tenders.gov.au, and more information about the fund is available on the National Indigenous Australians Agency website, niaa.gov.au/ITF.

Nature-based and Heritage tourism grants now available in South Australia

The Department for Environment and Water South Australia (SA) has announced applications are open for two new grant programs: Nature-based Tourism Small Grants and Heritage Tourism Grants. The grant programs will support tourism businesses to leverage South Australia’s iconic nature and heritage to create new and enhanced experiences that encourage visitors to spend more time enjoying SA’s special places. Applications are now open and close at 2pm on Friday 3 December 2021. Further information, including application forms, can be found on the tourism grants website or by emailing DEWtourism@sa.gov.au.

Sustainability support for Western Australian businesses

In Western Australia, there are a number of programs that may be of interest to tourism operators working to make their businesses more sustainable from an environmental, community and profitability perspective. These include:

Government Departments and Agencies
Department of Water and Environment Regulation

Advice, Grants, Programs and Tools
Department of Water and Environmental Regulation Grants, Support and Programs
WA Government Business and Community Assistance

This is not a definitive list but aims to provide some guidance on what can be time-consuming research. Find out more about Tourism Australia’s approach to sustainability here.

Australian Stories

Country NSW wins Top Tourism Town Awards 2021

The Hon. Dan Tehan MP, Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment, announced the regional town of Mudgee in New South Wales as Australia’s 2021 Top Tourism Town at the inaugural awards event, held last week. Honouring the best regional tourist destinations with a population over 5,000, the awards, sponsored by Tourism Australia and Qantas, showcases the best visitor experiences and tourism communities across Australia. While Mudgee claimed Gold Medal honours, Queensland’s Noosa and New Norfolk in Tasmania were awarded Silver and Bronze respectively. The town of Berrima in NSW's Southern Highlands was awarded Gold for 2021 Small Tourism Town. In the same category, Port Fairy in Victoria secured Silver and Tasmania’s town of Stanley, Bronze. For more information and to view the finalists visit the website.

Bendigo Art Gallery to house unprecedented Elvis biographical exhibition from March 2022

The Bendigo Art Gallery in Victoria has announced a major exhibit collaboration with the Graceland entertainment complex in Memphis, Tennessee that will explore Elvis Presley’s career. Opening on 19 March until 17 July 2022, the comprehensive showcase of the rockstar’s life and legacy, Elvis: Direct from Graceland, will feature around 300 authentic artifacts sourced directly from Elvis’ Graceland home in Memphis. Key artifacts include Elvis’ 1976 Red Bicentennial Custom Harley Davidson, Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding outfits, an array of his famous jumpsuits and the bongos Priscilla gifted him on their first Christmas together in Graceland. For more information and to arrange tickets visit the website.

BridgeClimb ignites the festive cheer with Santa at the Summit experience

BridgeClimb is getting into the festive spirit, gifting climbers the opportunity to meet Santa at the Summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Running every Sunday morning from 7 November until 19 December, participants will be able meet the big man himself 134 metres above sea level. With the Sydney Opera House in the background, climbers will be able to capture a one-of-a-kind Aussie Christmas photo with not one, but two icons. Available on all Climb routes departing between 9:00am and 10:55am, climbers will take in the breathtaking sights of Sydney Harbour whilst singing along to the soundtrack of beloved Christmas carols. Tickets include a printed photo and complimentary Santa hat. For more information visit the website.

Coral Expeditions’ two voyages take travellers to the heart of Queensland

Australia’s pioneering cruise line, Coral Expeditions, is launching two new voyages in time for the festive season. Setting off on the operator’s brand-new vessel, the Coral Geographer, the all-inclusive To the Heart of the Reef & Outback itineraries set out to showcase the diversity of the Queensland terrain. The first of the night cruises will depart from Cairns on 5 December 2021, with the second voyage leaving Brisbane on 20 December. The cruise will last for 14 nights and highlights include two gala dinners showcasing ten iconic Australian wines, a private jet experience landing in Longreach in the Queensland outback, a chartered yacht to Whitehaven Beach and opportunities to explore Lizard and Magnetic Islands with guided walking tours. For more information and to book visit the website.